All Articles Tagged "The Parkers"

When HIV and AIDS started spreading in the United States, there was all types of fear. And where there’s fear there’s usually hatred. People who were diagnosed were often shunned by coworkers, associates, friends and even family members. People didn’t understand the disease and how you could catch it. And so the media, executing one of their more noble functions, helped to dismantle the stereotypes. Check out some of the series who featured some memorable episodes dealing with HIV or AIDS.

On this week’s episode of “Hollywood Divas,” Countess Vaughn revealed the extent of what she had been through in the past that while trying to make it in Hollywood. During a therapy session, Vaughn stated that she found herself pregnant around the age of 18 when she was beginning work on “The Parkers.” While Vaughn shined on “Moesha,” “The Parkers” was to be something she would star in, front and center, and that was a big deal for her. She worried that if she went through with the pregnancy, she was going to lose her big opportunity. With that in mind, she revealed that she decided to abort the baby.

“They didn’t want to see a pregnant girl up there on TV…I knew it wasn’t a good look. I had to do something about it. I had to make a decision to get rid of the child for my career because I knew from the jump that if I let any of them know what was going on, they would have cancelled my show.”

Vaughn spoke about this time in her life a bit further on the post-show blog:

I don’t know if Hollywood has changed. When I was young, we didn’t have shows like “16 and Pregnant,” we didn’t have anything saying “yes, you can be a mother and successful.” My role models were Janet Jackson and Halle Berry who didn’t want marriage to ruin their careers. Really, I was forced by fear. The fear of wanting to do the right thing or what I thought was the right thing at the time. My maturity wasn’t there. The way I handled the situation showed that by not talking to anyone and taking matters in my own hands that I just wasn’t ready. But having a show and having money doesn’t make you ready to be a parent, either.

Vaughn also talked about dealing with other tough times in Hollywood, including being made fun of as a child star during her stint on “227.” Unfortunately, the taunts, which were done behind her back, came from an elder adult who worked on the show:

Being a child on the set, I was bored running, through the hallways and I heard a conversation I shouldn’t have heard. I kept that conversation in the back of my mind, like “is that what people really think at the end of the day.” Especially at that age, it was traumatic. To have someone smile in your face and later . . . especially being an elder who had those views of me. But I kept it to myself.

Now, I’m trying to get away from victimhood. I want to shed the energy — to get over it. I really wanted this therapy regardless if it was on TV or not, it didn’t matter. I want to be a better person and this was an opportunity to knock my thoughts off someone else. I’m not a victim, I love myself.

She told Us Weekly that while it was hard to reveal all these things, she needed to release it all:

“I really needed it to release all that I’ve been carrying all this time. I’ve beat myself up for so long about it, and I just felt like, ‘You know what girl, you’ve got to tell somebody.’ Even though the world will know, hey, that’s just me. I like to keep it real at all times. While it was being shot, I really didn’t notice the cameras being there. I was really there for help.”

Vaughn is a mother of two children: Sasha, 5, and Jaylyn, 11. You can check out Vaughn’s therapy session for yourself, and share your thoughts below:

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Spinoffs are greatly appreciated for a few reasons: they allow viewers to see lesser characters develop independently; they give viewers a different take of the characters from the previous sitcom; and, finally, spinoffs are uniquely responsible for creating that ‘neighboring effect’ on television, allowing audiences and characters, alike, feel as if they are stepping from one living room into another. This has been seen time and time again in television. Cheers begot Fraiser, Grey’s Anatomy begot Private Practice, Buffy begot Angel, and Dr. Who begot Torchwood. Check out some our favorites over the years.

There are so many instances of the “token black guy” and “token black girl” in whitewashed entertainment that we sometimes overlook an opposite – and of course, smaller – category of characters: token white chicks. But though there aren’t many that automatically come to mind, there are at least 11 who’ve held – and continue to hold – prominent roles on some of our favorite TV shows. Can you think of any other token white chicks we may have missed?

Some things are so great, so classic, so epic that they don’t need to be repeated. That wasn’t the case with these incredible spin-offs. From “Family Matters” to “Melrose Place,” television has seen some wonderful follow-ups that made us laugh, made us cry, and made us fall head over heels in love with some very special characters, like they were the originals. Check out this list of the most amazing spin-offs to ever grace out TV screens.

Where would our favorite TV stars be without their sidekicks, eh? Sidekicks, both in real life and on 30 minute television shows, are essential. They have your back and help you make important decisions, and they’re often the best at figuring out who is in your life for the right reasons, and who needs to get the boot. Seriously though, where would Martin be without Tommy and Cole? They got him to go back to Gina when he was playing like he was over her during a bad break up. Or where would Florida Evans be without her girl, and neighbor, Willona Woods? She helped her look out for the Evans family after James died. These are some of the classic examples. Of course, we’ve found out where these people are through previous “Where Are They Now” installments, so we decided to focus this time on a few folks from some more recent black comedies that we enjoyed (aka, no Pam, Willona Woods, etc.–been done). Per the usual, be prepared to click, but it’s worth it!

Alexis Fields

For years, when it came to watching “Sister, Sister” everybody knew that Roger, who was played by Marques Houston, was the ultimate sidekick. Of course, he wasn’t around strictly to be friendly, as he was always trying to mack on Tia and Tamera, but he was there for them when they needed him. When they didn’t need him, he knew what to do–“Go home Roger.” But once the ladies graduated and found themselves at the University of Michigan, they made besties with a girl named Diavian Johnson. She was the the girlfriend who gave them the real, and occasionally started drama (remember when she made out with Tia’s fine ex-boyfriend?), but she was a good friend. Of course, I’m sure you know that Alexis Fields is the little sister of “Living Single” star, Kim Fields.

After doing “Sister, Sister,” Fields went on to have a recurring role on “Kenan & Kel,” “Moesha,” “One On One,” and most recently, popped up on episodes of “Let’s Stay Together.” She also got married and had a little cutie patootie daughter named Kaycie with her husband, Kevin Jackson. Since then, she’s focused more on mommyhood than acting, and we can’t blame her, homegirl’s got it all!

Every actor wants that breakout role that will propel them into the mainstream stratosphere. However, finding that one perfect character can be a blessing and a curse for some actors as they can become typecast and find it difficult for lightning to strike twice. Not only are many asked to play similar characters for the rest of their careers, but even decades after taking on these roles, people still ask them to say memorable catchphrases or do famous dances. These are a few of the many stars who created iconic characters but never quite found the same success again because of said character.